AZ Truck driver forced to show birth certificate claims racial-profiling

[MrScorpio]

By scarce Sunday Apr 25, 2010 10:00am

The shape of things to come? Sure looks like it. And this incident happened before Gov. Jan Brewer signed the SB1070 into law on Friday. Video and story from AzFamily.com.

PHOENIX – A Valley man says he was pulled over Wednesday morning and questioned when he arrived at a weigh station for his commercial vehicle along Val Vista and the 202 freeway.

Abdon, who did not want to use his last name, says he provided several key pieces of information but what he provided apparently was not what was needed.

He tells 3TV, “I don't think it's correct, if I have to take my birth certificate with me all the time.”

3TV caught up with Abdon after he was released from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in central Phoenix. He and his wife, Jackie, are still upset about what happened to him.

Jackie tells 3TV, “It's still something awful to be targeted. I can't even imagine what he felt, people watching like he was some type of criminal.”

Abdon was told he did not have enough paperwork on him when he pulled into a weigh station to have his commercial truck checked. He provided his commercial driver’s license and a social security number but ended up handcuffed.

An agent called his wife and she had to leave work to drive home and grab other documents like his birth certificate.

Jackie explains, “I have his social security card as well and mine. He's legit. It's the first time it's ever happened.”

Both were born in the United States and say they are now both infuriated that keeping important documents safely at home is no longer an option


http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/scarce/az-truck-driver-forced-show-birth-certifica
/div]

[KamaAina]

1. Ihre papiere, bitte.

:scared:

[AnnieBW]

38. Bumagi, pozhalusta

Same thing, only in Russian.

[Aviation Pro]

98. Better in cyrillic and it should be 'documents'.....

Документы, пожалуйста.

....transliteration always gives me a headache.

[AnnieBW]

110. I don't have Cyrillic on my keyboard.

Thanks for the translation.

[Aviation Pro]

111. Yeah you do....

Accessories - System Tools - Character Map

Build your text in the open field and copy. Paste into any text editor.

[EFerrari]

2. I think all of us brown people should head over to Arizona

and form a line to be arrested. I'd need some time at a tanning place but it would be a way to clog up the machine.

[lamp_shade]

4. I'd join you if I could... and I'd fake an accent too... or pretend I couldn't speak english.

[EFerrari]

8. I'd have to wait for later this summer (in training) but

maybe by then someone will have a plan. If anyone hears of something like this, please post about it!

:hi:

[goclark]

17. If I wasn't afraid of being put in jail

I would take my little African American brown skin self over there.

I know a bit of Spanish too.

My problem is I would go goclark crazy if they even tried to touch me.

I would be in jail without bail. LOL

[EFerrari]

25. LOL. Maybe you better hold off, goclark.

:)

[CoffeeCat]

54. I'd look at em straight in the face and say...

Mayambo dog face to the banana patch.

[PatrynXX]

86. Fake accent?

Don't pull a (The Fugitive) on me. Get Harrison Ford to say something in spanish at the hospital. :P

Say what about all those rednecks that one can't understand a thang u's a sayin.


Reminds me of Airplane.. the grandmother spoke jive o_O

[struggle4progress]

19. I'm hoping some brown law enforcement officers or successful

lawyers, carrying only their drivers' licenses, will tour Arizona extensively this summer in beat-up sedans, wearing old loose clothing, with mariachi music on a boombox in the backseat

We might see some nice lawsuits

I unfortunately have too Nordic an appearance to volunteer as an arrestee: I could try memorizing some useful Swedish phrases, I suppose, or perhaps I could cultivate a Bavarian accent, but I don't think I'd be arrested for it. Maybe if I refused to speak and insisted on putting all my answers in writing on a notepad

[EFerrari]

27. GMTA.

:)

[glinda]

30. hope they ask Boehner for his papers

[bridgit]

36. Um, well, maybe orange people are exempt

:dunce:

[Nikki Stone1]

112. And rimshot!

Nice.

[truth2008]

99. Boehner

He's not brown are tan, he's BRIGHT ORANGE!

[KamaAina]

72. Could I pretend to be a Canadian?

or maybe even a Russian, like, oh, I dunno, the Coyotes' goalie Bryzgalov?? :P

[EFerrari]

74. Can you say "Ey" convincingly?

lol

[KamaAina]

75. Oh yeah, like, g'day, eh?

Aww, you're such a hoser, hoser!

So take off, eh?

(please don't search me for my VTA pass....) :scared:

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Who the fuck carries their birth certificate with them?

I couldn't even tell you where mine is. Of course I'm not likely to be a target of Klansman Joe, but that's beside the point. The only ID anyone should have to carry with them is a driver's license. And if they don't have a car, why would they even need that? Social Security card, maybe.

[pschoeb]

9. Could a cop actually tell a legitimate certificate from a fake

I mean each state/county has their own birth certificate security paper and seals and they change over time, but your birth certificate, from whatever time you got it, is still valid forever. It would seem that any undocumented worker could easily obtain a believable fake birth certificate, so it would seem to be more harm to legitimate persons than undocumented workers.

[PADemD]

59. Some states issue a wallet sized card as a birth certificate.

I saw one last year.

[mikekohr]

96. My state does not, perfect example of the need for a National ID card

something the Republican Party has fought for years. If every legal resident had a National ID card the business community would be far less likely to exploit illegal workers (and by extention legal workers) and then claim they have no reliable way to ascertain an employee's legal status.

If we want to fix this problem a National ID card is critical to the process in conjunction with very stiff penalties and prison time for employers that hire illegal residents.

We need to punish those that cause this problem, the employers, and not demonize those that come here to better themselves and their families.

I am a Caucasian with dark skin and dark hair. I am often mistaken for a Hispanic or a Native American, which I always consider a compliment, even though this "profiling" is all to often directed at me with something less than good will. Anyone that claims the Arizona law will not result in racial profiling, and abuse is either naive or racist.

mike kohr

[Bette Noir]

78. AZ doesn't recognize Mr. President's birth certificate.

Why would it recognize anyone else's?

[icnorth]

94. Joe Arapiao can differentiate

between a real American and a fake one just by looking at him. :sarcasm:

[catrose]

97. Mine says less than Obama's

And I've had it for 30 years. I don't think any of these Birthers have ever seen a birth certificate.

Oh, gee, that's the next issue in AZ: your birth certificate doesn't show enough.

When will it end?

[NutmegYankee]

46. A person on a stroll or jogging should carry no ID.

A person driving a car obviously needs the license. It has never been the law in the US to have ID on you while outside. It was only a requirement to identify yourself to a police officer, but this is is just verbal name and address.

[PADemD]

61. Actually joggers should carry some form of ID.

In case you get hit by a car and they need to take you to the hospital. It will help to notify your relatives.

[bobbolink]

62. Not supposed to carry Social Security cards on your person.

Identity theft.

[Sebastian Doyle]

70. Good point.

Never thought about it. So that leaves the question of what sort of ID a non-driving person is supposed to have. Legal immigrants have a "green card", but what would citizens have?

[Bette Noir]

79. Government-issued ID is not required by law, and never has been in the US.

Some, if not all, states issue an ID card that can be used in lieu of a driver's license, but that's only for the convenience of non-drivers. They're not required. That's what a "free country" means-- that we can move around without having to worry about being hassled by the police. Apparently, AZ no longer wants to be part of a free country.

[PatrynXX]

87. ditto. have no clue where mine is.

parents probably have it super locked up somewhere. Kinda like carrying my SS card around. Dumb.

[louis-t]

105. I have a copy of birth cert. on me at all times.

Haven't seen my SS card for 25 years.

[Cleita]

5. It is racial profiling. If he were a Canadian trucker, he wouldn't have been stopped. n/t

[polly7]

48. Canadian truckers come in all races and colours.

Just like in the U.S.

Strange notion, eh?

[Cleita]

55. You know what I mean. Although your browner Canadians maybe need to

have their proper papers if driving through Arizona.

[polly7]

57. Just as 'browner' truckers from the U.S. or Mexico will have

to have their papers. I'm sure they already have the proper paperwork done just to get through customs, they're not claiming residency so what other papers will they need?

[TexasObserver]

6. Tragic.

[jwirr]

7. hopefully he will be the first in line to sue them. He should get in touch

with the Civil Liberties group.

[thelordofhell]

10. Before the new laws saying I have to have a passport

I always carried a copy of my birth certificate with me so that I could get back into the United States whenever I went to Mexico.

[onehandle]

11. Arizona really needs to implement an 'efficient' system. How about tattooed forearms?

Wait... This sounds familiar.

[struggle4progress]

20. How about Arizona cops memorize the complete list of persons legally in the US?

[Taverner]

49. Or better yet, persons deemed as Hispanic would only be allowed to travel betwen 8am and 5pm

[LiberalFighter]

68. Wrong place for the tattoo IMO.

Those supporting the law should have the tattoo on their ass as near as possible to their anus.

[drm604]

12. How many of us could produce a birth certificate or passport on demand?

I don't even have a passport. I have a certified BC from my state only because I had a need for it for employment years ago, but I don't carry it with me everywhere. It's kind of big for a wallet so I'm not sure where I'd keep it.

Fortunately for this man, his wife had what he needed at home. What if he didn't have a BC or passport even at home?

[NotThisTime]

32. For people in Arizona they will have to start carrying these documents or risk being hauled to jail

[ejpoeta]

44. i don't carry a birth certificate around!! or a social security card. that would be a nightmare sh

should it be lost or stolen!! and is this the country we want!! stopped and required to show papers everywhere??

[Bette Noir]

80. When I wanted to get a birth certificate a few years ago, it took three weeks.

I'd hate to spend three weeks in an AZ jail. If it were summer, I might not survive.

[drm604]

95. Exactly.

It took me 2 or 3 weeks if I recall correctly. I don't see how this will stand up in court.

[tridim]

13. I wonder if AZ can handle this happening hundreds of times every day

Because that's exactly what's coming.

Good luck, racist assholes.

[Hekate]

52. I think the cops will (a)revolt at the volume of useless work or(b) use the law for sheer harassment

Option (b) would certainly be a legalized throwback to Jim Crow laws in the South.

Cops in California pretty much made it clear that they didn't want to be seen as an arm of the INS, largely because they want anyone who has witnessed a crime or been victimized by one to cooperate with an investigation without fear of being hauled away themselves. It's a rather murky area, and I don't know where it ended up under pressure from Homeland Security, but I do remember the debate locally.

Hekate

[mrdmk]

104. The INS is now part of Homeland Security

link: http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm

Under the header of Border Security and Immigration...

[malaise]

14. It's simple

They stop you - you turn around and head out of state. They will learn fast.

[JCMach1]

15. Everyone should print one of those FAKE Kenyan Birth certificates

and keep that in their car as protest...

[BlueIris]

42. DUzy! nt

[Taverner]

50. DUzy rec #2

[JCMach1]

89. Here is the link if there are any takers

http://kenyanbirthcertificategenerator.com/

[Froward69]

16. So it begins

[Pirate Smile]

18. I don't have a passport and I don't have my birth certificate. I've had a drivers license since 16,

have my social security card but I don't keep it on me or in my purse because that would be dangerous if my purse or wallet got stolen.

This is crazy.

[LiberalFighter]

69. And you don't want to carry your bc with you for the same reason.

[elleng]

21. I suspect that the b.s. will screw up ordinary commerce SO badly

that it will be forced to end, largely at the 'business' end.

[emulatorloo]

31. You are probably right.

[mainer]

22. Even Obama probably can't convince Arizonans he's American

If the President can't convince a large proportion of the US that he was born in the US, how is any poor Jose Schmo going to be able to do it?

[glinda]

33. Perhaps that is the point. To arrest Obama and make him prove he is legit.

[fishwax]

39. I'm sure if he visited the state there would be thousands insisting he be forced to show his papers

:puke:

[Bette Noir]

81. You didn't hear about the other bill that passed in AZ last week?

They're now requiring that candidates for office present their birth certificates in AZ before they can get on the ballot. They're trying to keep Mr. President off the ballot in AZ in '12!

[Arkana]

63. If I were Obama I'd schedule a visit to the state immediately.

See if any of those racist cops have the nerve to do it.

[Sebastian Doyle]

83. Remember that hate cult church in Tempe

The one that preaches so much hate they make the Phelps Klan look like "liberals". The fools that showed up at the Obama speech with a loaded AR-15.

Wonder how many of those fucking idiots are on Arpaio's payroll. Wouldn't be surprised if he's actively recruiting them.

[Karenina]

41. This will expose people's primary documentation

to the whims of Zona Bubbas. NOT GOOD.

[Pirate Smile]

84. Yeah, what is the point of even having your birth certificate when one that has been validated by

the state it is from (even by its Governor) and independent Fact Checkers is still deemed questionable and insufficient.

I guess everyone needs to have had at least 3 (because 2 has been shown to be insufficient) simultaneous birth announcements made by or in independent newspapers or other public publications.

I'm sure we can all meet that standard. :eyes:

If we can't then it is just evidence of our real Kenyan or Indonesian birth. ;)

[Rozlee]

102. My sisters back in the 40s weren't born in hospitals. They have birth certificates by affadavits

Back then in rural Texas, very few poor Hispanics went to hospitals. Many women, like my mother, gave birth at home with the assistance of local midwives or family members. If there was a complication, then they called a doctor. Back then, doctors made house calls and one would come over. I was a change-of-life-baby when my Mom gave birth to me when she was almost 50 in the late 50s. I'm the only one that has a doctor's signature on my b.c. from a hospital birth. If my sisters were stopped with their b.c. in Arizona, what would a bigot cop think if he didn't see a doc's signature on it? All they had were "Witnesses to Birth" when a family member would go to the post office to request the birth certificate. I'm sure they probably have the same kind of things for people that were born in poor Latino rural areas in Arizona before Hospital births became the norm for Hispanics. Then what? Is a birth certificate like that valid?

[SoCalDem]

23. Just because she signed it, does not make it go into effect immediately

It's supposed to take effect on Aug 1st, according to the news outlets that reported on it.

The police apparently are champing at the bit to start "roundin' 'em up" :grr:

[EFerrari]

28. That's right. August. Well, that gives people time to prepare.

I hope the Republicans lose AZ forEVER over this.

[liberalhistorian]

109. The good news on that is that, just in the few days since

the bill was passed, the voter registration for Hispanics in AZ has gone up THIRTY percent! And guess which party has received the vast majority of those registrations? Talk about the law of unintended consequences. You'd think the 'pubs would have seen that one coming. Then again, they probably think "illegal" when they think of most Hispanics and they probably don't give them nearly as much credit for intelligence and understanding. Too bad, so sad for them.

[calimary]

24. I hope he sues!

A few hundred lawsuits like this oughta give ms brewer and her cronies something to think about.

Well... maybe... on a good day... when they've taken all their meds or something...

:shrug:

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

26. I need to get the photo on my birth certificate updated

It shows a chubby, hairless guy who's taking a nap. Wait a second -- that's what I look like now...

I never understood the benefit of carrying a birth certificate. Absent DNA there's no way to correlate the document with the person presenting it.

Actually, I'm not sure how one proves who they are. An official copy of a birth certificate can be obtained by anyone, and has no data that's relevant to identifying the person who is carrying it. Everything else is based on presenting this document and you being who you say you are.

"I object - that's hearsay!" the lawyer said as the witness was being sworn in. "He only knows his name because someone told it to him!"

[virginia mountainman]

29. thats a bunch of BULLSHIT..

he should sue..

[bridgit]

34. Its a treasonous RW white supremacist tea bagger law & AZ republicans are the spear head...

for the disenfranchisement of minority voters with an eye on 2012 as their sea trial - but Dems need to reconsider their read between the importance of illegal/undocumented workers, and the violent drug cartels kidnapping & murdering people here then skipping back across a very porous border stacked now with dead bodies

Dems do run the risk of being framed as light-headed unless they get their hands & heads all the way around the issue this idiot Brewer monstrosity is said to address

[ArizonaLiberal]

40. It has been simmering here...

for a long time.

[bridgit]

43. Yeah, long time and thx for posting

[glinda]

35. they need to change their State name to "Terror-Zona".

[aquart]

37. Are they going to make people post bail? Pay a fine?

Because otherwise this is going to get very expensive for the state even without lawsuits to contend with.

[goclark]

45. They are too evil to care about spending

$$'s to be evil.

GW taught them so well. :puke:

[BlooInBloo]

47. Heckuva job, AZ electorate. You've made white supremacists everywhere proud.

[Hekate]

51. Universal ID I can understand. It makes sense. Driver's license/State ID, whatever. But a PASSPORT?

In MY OWN country?

Birth certificate? Social Security card? First and foremost, those (and the passport) are important documents to anyone wishing to steal your identity, and they are a royal pain to try to replace if lost or stolen. They should not be carried around casually and used for random ID for cashing checks or what not, and should be stored safely at home or in a safe-deposit box in the bank.

But as to the Passport, specifically -- we are supposed to suddenly pay a hundred bucks (soon to be $135) to travel between states in our own country. That is so outrageous I don't even have words for it.

Hekate

:argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

[Odin2005]

53. And so it begins...

This won't end well. :(

[KonaKane]

56. Let the law suits begin!

AZ will be so sorry they ever passed this piece of shit, once the umpteenth 4th amendment lawsuit saps their state attorney budget.

[csziggy]

65. As Daily Kos points out, the lawsuits will go BOTH ways

Since not only will people who are unfairly harassed and arrested sue, but citizens that do not believe the police are doing enough to enforce the law can sue - and get $1000 per day from the date the suit is filed.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/25/860522/-The-provision-in-the-AZ-law-that-will-let-you-destroy-it:-a-call-to-action

If Arizona is already having money problems with their government at all levels, this will bankrupt the state, counties and cities.

[agentS]

58. This new law is BS and this incident is Exhibit fucking A as to why

AZ law enforcement is wasting time and resources harassing innocent people when they should be going after the drug smugglers and kidnapping outfits.

Will someone PLEASE tell me how a racist law like this is supposed to cut down the drug smuggling and kidnapping problem? Because I'm not seeing how stopping random brown people in a SOUTHWESTERN STATE is supposed to have an effect.

[slackmaster]

60. The new law hasn't even taken effect yet

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

82. A number of LEO agencies came out against this POS before it was signed.

[BolivarianHero]

64. Interesting...

So if your brown or black you have to carry your papers with you wherever you go...Sounds like walking the streets of 1930s Germany.

[Chulanowa]

85. Or 1950's America

Sundown towns didn't even give you that much leeway.

[HughMoran]

66. Famous people need to "test" this new law with cameras rolling

This could get quite interesting...

[lunasun]

67. If he was born in the USA then he most likely did not have

a heavy foreign accent and could answer an "American culture type question" and be sent on his way.

Of course not in the Twilight Zone.

U tell me what the bullshit is about!

[BrentWil]

71. Yes it is..

When will this country learn that hard working people are never a damaging thing....

[DearAbby]

73. I would be shit out of luck

My birth certificate looks like Obama's only a different state seal. And they don't accept his as authentic. I am brown with a suspect BC. What to do? Luckily I don't reside in Arizona, just a neighboring state.

[Bette Noir]

76. I'm looking forward to the lawsuit.

This law's defenders say it'll only affect undocumented workers (actually, they say "illegal aliens," but I reject that terminology), but here's a natural-born citizen who was arrested for failing to provide proof of citizenship. As far as I know, it is not and never has been illegal for an American to leave his home without his birth certificate on his person.

If AZ gets away with this outrage, it'll set a dangerous precedent.

[unpossibles]

77. ah yes, more great ideas from the people who complain about how Obama is stealing their freedoms

or something.

[defendandprotect]

107. This is simply more racism . . . bigotry --

[Swamp Rat]

88. k&r

[DFW]

90. I wish Obama WOULD visit Arizona, and say a few small border towns known for their RW cops

Let them just TRY to approach him, let alone arrest him. The Secret Service would have to make up a few letters of
condolence to the widows, if the arresting "officers" were married, but otherwise, the point would be made.

[Divine Discontent]

91. ok... really. this shit has to end. I expect my govt to squash this quickly.

it is harassment and racial profiling, and I don't care if a bunch of numbf*cks want it, our govt should step in and say - we went through these fights over rights already in this country, quit restarting the wars or face prison time.

maybe all the docs, nurses, teachers, cops, firefighters, medical staff, builders etc, should bar us whites from receiving services from them - they'd be screaming about how it's racist! But you know there's far too many white folk who would rely heavily on an ER doc who's Latino, when they're having a heart attack, and turn around a month later and see him/her outside somewhere and accuse 'em of not being an American.

[skepticscott]

92. Even though the Democrats in Arizona knew

that this law was going to be shoved down their throats, they should have tried to include in the law specifics about what documents the police would have to accept as prima facie evidence of citizenship (for citizens) or legal immigrant status (for non-citizens). If it had been spelled out explicitly what papers people would have to carry with them to avoid arrest, I'm guessing there would have been a lot less enthusiasm for this law among the general population.

[JustAnotherGen]

93. My rec

Is due to this man getting his story out there. Because this law is a bunch of bull.

Oh - see - now I'm "exotic looking". Maybe :sarcasm: those of us who are 'exotic looking' but American citizens can have a red white and blue star tatooed on our right hands and then in our :sarcasm: wrist have tatooed a 'serial id number' to 'prove' we are Americans who just don't have our papers on us.

And for whatever it's worth - this a good reason to boycott Arizona: If you have a brown face. Yep - understand people would lose jobs if tourism went down . . . but if you don't have to go to AZ and you have a brown face like me? Don't effing go. No one in America should have to carry a passport and or birth certificate to prove their citizenship.

[meow2u3]

100. Teabagger terrorists and other racists are now proud to announce...

Arizona: the first ever sundown state in the nation, thanks to Juan Crow. :puke:

[POAS]

101. I can't wait for Lou Dobbs' wife to get asked for ID n/t

[Ikonoklast]

103. There's more to this story, I think.

It's a little short on facts.


This incident happened before the legislation was even signed into law.

It appears this driver didn't have all the necessary paperwork to legally operate his commercial vehicle; trust me on this one, if they pull you back around a scale house after directing you to bring in all your paperwork, you better have your stuff all lined up and proper, up-to-date and current.

This entails your log book, your registration for the tractor and trailer, insurance for both, lease agreements, CDL, bills of lading...and more. If ONE of these items doesn't look right, your ass is in a sling, and it is up to you to produce updated or current copies of these by fax, mail, whatever...but you are going nowhere from that spot until that correct and current paperwork is produced.

This driver was turned over to ICE for a reason that the scalemaster saw was relevant to their jurisdiction, not for the color of his skin. There was something else going on here; his CDL may have been expired, in that case, it is no longer a valid form of identification.

I every brown-skinned driver in the state of Arizona was pulled over just because of the color of his skin, or accent, little or no freight would ever get moved in that state, let alone the rest of the southwest.

I am a commercial driver, and have been stopped in just such a manner for inspection. I am white, speak with no discernible accent, but I have had border patrol agents look at my papers and vehicle with the same intensity that they would anyone else.

I have also on occasion hauled contract loads for the DoD, and in that case, I need to prove citizenship before entering a base or secure facility. That means I must produce a copy of my birth certificate, passport, or both in addition to a valid CDL.

I carry a copy of my b.c. and passport with me at all times when working. It helps.

[defendandprotect]

106. This is "them" and "us" legislation . . . if you're now demanding a birth certificate from

a native born person of Mexican decent, what next???

Police should be chasing criminals and not deciding that skin color indicates a criminal!

They shouldn't be doing the work of immigration officials, either --

And think they're already assigned a large role in chasing drug war traffickers???

What happened to "public servants"?

[sui generis]

108. he provided his social security number?

And, those are given out to illegal immigrants all the time, right?

It's not like a simple DMV search wouldn't confirm the SS and I9 data associated with the driver, so no, this was pure and simple harrassment.

The dismaying thing for me is I read that CNN poll that showed 60 of all respondents agreed that the Arizona proposal was "just about right".

Bring it Arizona bitches I was born in Germany, blonde hair, green eyes, speak several languages, dual national, American citizen. I'm not the tiniest bit afraid of getting so far in your grill I can count your ass hairs with one eye closed, and half tempted to go get a spray tan and mustachio just to fuck with them.